ST Alpha - "Because... is it "untold" or "untolled"? That is, "unreported," or "uncounted"? -- nm" (Reading a Post)

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Because... is it "untold" or "untolled"? That is, "unreported," or "uncounted"? -- nm

Posted by second gary (aka second gary) Jul 8 '09, 16:25

(No message)

Responses:

Whenever you're referring to numbers, it's untolled. -- nm - mara Jul 8, 16:30 20
- though here is another meaning to "untolled" ;) -- (link) - the liioulu with fabric flowers and real cake Jul 8, 16:37 1
  - And a similar but slightly different one from that. -- (link) - the liioulu with fabric flowers and real cake Jul 8, 16:40
- can you link me to a definition of untolled? -- nm - b. Jul 8, 16:37
- No, I'm wrong -- it's usually untolled for things that aren't numbers, too. The only time you use untold if you're literally referring to things that - mara Jul 8, 16:33 3
  - The counting isn't literal. -- nm - the liioulu with fabric flowers and real cake Jul 8, 16:34 2
    - No, it has to do with the tolling of bells marking an occasion. -- nm - mara Jul 8, 16:36 1
      - In some cases they toll the bells once for each death. - the liioulu with fabric flowers and real cake Jul 8, 16:39
- weirdly, I have never even considered this as an alternate spelling of the expression. - TFox Jul 8, 16:32 12
  - It could be "untolled" deaths. Since bells are tolled to mark a death, "untolled" would be a death that passes unnoticed or unmarked. -- nm - TWuG Jul 8, 16:36
  - I'm having difficulty documenting this, but here's the justification -- (link) - mara Jul 8, 16:36 10
    - Google returns less than 9,000 results for "untolled", and over 8 million for "untold". -- nm - TFox Jul 8, 16:38 9
      - And dictionary.reference.com didn't like it at all -- (link) - the liioulu with fabric flowers and real cake Jul 8, 16:42
      - And Webster's even defines "untold" as "too great or too numerous to be counted or measured; incalculable untold wealth" -- (link) - TFox Jul 8, 16:40 7
        
        Yeah, I'm not liking my results at all. I think I'll put it in the "keep at eye out for" file. -- nm - mara Jul 8, 16:50
        
        that's what i remembered. i don't think they have an entry for untolled, do they? -- nm - b. Jul 8, 16:42
        
        Definition #2. -- nm - the liioulu with fabric flowers and real cake Jul 8, 16:41 4
        
        search for "untolled", tell me if you like that definition better. - TFox Jul 8, 16:42 3
        
        Got two results above. -- nm - the liioulu with fabric flowers and real cake Jul 8, 16:43 2
        
        Those aren't definitions; they are poorly written blogs. - TFox Jul 8, 16:45 1
        
        The proper word seems to be untold, which is descended from the Old English via Middle English. The original word was unteald meanind not counted. - the liioulu with fabric flowers and real cake Jul 8, 16:53
untold. -- nm - b. Jul 8, 16:30
"An untold number of deaths..." Is this what you mean? -- nm - TWuG Jul 8, 16:29
Well it depends if it hasn't been reported or hasn't been counted. -- nm - the liioulu with fabric flowers and real cake Jul 8, 16:27
untold -- nm - con_carne Jul 8, 16:26

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